Sam Hornish Jr. Cup Series Richmond Preview

April 29, 2008

News and Notes• Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, will make his NASCAR Cup Series start at Richmond International Raceway this weekend. He has one career Nationwide Series start (May 4, 2007) and seven IndyCar Series races at the .75-mile D-Shaped oval. In the open-wheel series, he has a total of two victories, one pole award and four top-five finishes at Richmond.• In four short track starts in Cup Series competition this season, Hornish Jr. has an average starting position of 22.5 and an average finish of 26.7.• Hornish Jr. and the No. 77 Mobil 1 team are currently 34th in the 2008 Cup Series owner points standings. The team sits 93 points outside of the 30th position.• Hornish Jr. is tied for the lead in the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with Regan Smith, 15 points ahead of third-place driver Dario Franchitti.• Penske Racing is just two wins shy of reaching the milestone of 300 victories across a variety of racing series, including NASCAR Cup, IndyCar, American Le Mans and more.

Upcoming Events5/2/08: Hornish Jr. and the No. 12 Penske Truck Rental team return to racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the Lipton TEA 250 at Richmond International Raceway.

5/23/08: The annual Penske Racing Fan Fest will be held at Penske Racing Headquarters in Mooresville, N.C.

Chassis ChatterPRS-553: This weekend’s race car served as the primary car for the No. 77 Mobil 1 team in the Atlanta race earlier this season. Hornish Jr. finished 35th in that event.

PRS-563: The backup car for this weekend is a brand new racecar.

Sam Hornish Jr. on Richmond International Raceway“Richmond International Raceway is a track I’ve always liked. I’ve won there twice in the IndyCar Series and it’s a lot of fun racing there. This will be my first Cup Series race at Richmond and I am up to the challenge.

“Richmond is multi-groove racetrack and that makes for exciting racing for drivers and fans alike. Patience is always important at short tracks because the goal is to be there in the end. I’ve enjoyed racing at short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series and hope to have a good night on Saturday. Our goal is to race smart and continue to solidify our position in the top-35 in owner points.”

Crew Chief Chris Carrier on Richmond International Raceway“I think Richmond International Raceway is right there with Bristol Motor Speedway as one of the best places we race. With the constant two-wide and three-wide racing, it has to be a fan favorite.

“I’m glad we are in the top-35 in owner points because this race is an impound race which makes it more difficult to qualify well. You have to compromise a little on your qualifying set up in order to start the race. As always, tire wear and brakes will be a key factor to having a successful race at Richmond.”

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 470 major race wins, over 540 pole positions and 32 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 52-year history, the team has also earned 16 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. For 2018, Team Penske will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.